Sunday book pick: In Jonathan Franzen’s novel ‘Crossroads,’ the maker abandons the faithful

“Shouldn’t his capacity for love, which was the essence of Christ’s gospel, have earned him a modicum of credit with god?”

What does god have to do with a person’s capacity for love? Everything, suggests Jonathan Franzen in his 2021 novel Crossroads. It is not always devotion that opens up a believer’s heart to love, but also the fear of god’s anger and damnation. It concocts a curious mix where base desires are pitted against the higher, nobler expectations of faith. For instance, what does one do when they are tempted to commit adultery? Do they stay true to their vows out of obligation to their spouse or because they fear god’s disapproval? Or, should one share their wealth from a sense of familial affection or because they have been coaxed to adopt god’s charitable ways?

By asking these questions through an ordinary, small-town, Christian Midwestern family, Franzen inspects the deep impact of religion in personal relationships and the extent one goes to hold up the facade of faith in times of hardship.

A crisis of faith

In the early 1970s in New Prospect (a fictional town in the Chicago suburbs), the Hildebrandt family is challenged with a constant shift in reality. Devout Christians and adequately religious, the answers...

Read more

News